Distributed speech processing includes distributed voice recognition and distributed speech synthesis. Distributed voice recognition involves the extraction of speech features by one device and pattern recognition by another device, and distributed speech synthesis involves the generation of speech synthesis data by one device and the speech synthesis by another device. The integration of distributed speech processing technology into wireless communication systems is a relatively new problem requiring solutions that are compatible with existing wireless technology and systems. In a wireless communication system, a communication unit may perform the feature extraction or speech synthesis while infrastructure equipment performs the pattern recognition or speech synthesis data generation. In such a system, a communication path between the communication unit and the appropriate infrastructure equipment is needed to facilitate the distributed speech processing service. The characteristics and capabilities of this communication path determine the extent to which distributed speech processing can be utilized by users of the communication system.
Thus, there is a need for an apparatus and method for facilitating and performing distributed speech processing, in the context of a wireless communication system, that is compatible with existing wireless communication systems and yet provides users flexibility in utilizing distributed speech processing capabilities.